Michelle Obama Visits N.C. State
This story was written by Keith Kennedy, Technician
Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack Obama, came to Reynolds Coliseum at North Carolina State University Tuesday to encourage North Carolina to vote for her husband.
A diverse crowd of approximately 5,500 grew restless as they waited approximately 30 minutes after Obama was scheduled to arrive to hear her speak.
Despite her late arrival, the crowd gave Obama a standing ovation when she took the stage. Obama spoke of her work ethic that she gained from a blue-collar upbringing. She also spoke about her husband's upbringing in a lower-income family. Obama quoted her husband's mother, stating that he was taught to do what he loved, not what was prosperous.
The audience gave a positive response to all of Obama's points in her speech, However, several students felt her speech lacked meaning.
"I thought she was a good speaker, and I liked a lot of what she said, but a lot of it didn't have much substance," said Josh Carpenter, a sophomore in First Year College. "She talked about change, but she didn't talk about how they were going to change everything."
Some of the things Obama mentioned in her speech included the war in Iraq and the No Child Left Behind Act, but she did not provide any information for how her husband would resolve them.
Elizabeth Harris, freshman in animal science, agreed with Carpenter that Obama's speech lacked depth.
"All of her comments were pretty vague, and it was a really promotional speech," Harris said. "She didn't say that much about how things were going to materialize."
Both also felt that the speech was not aimed towards college students.
"She mainly directed her speech towards lower-middle class America in general, and middle-aged adults that have families and parents to take care of," Harris said.
Carpenter said when Obama did try to include young people, it was not effective.
"There was a part where she talked about young people, and it made you feel that she was trying to fit in young people; I didn't feel out of place, but it felt like it was more directed to old people," Carpenter said.
While Harris felt some areas of Obama's speech lacked "depth," she felt Obama would be an effective first lady.
"She would be really supportive of her husband and she is knowledgeable enough to have an effect on politics," Harris said, "I was already a supporter of Barack Obama, and she supported my view set. They are well educated people and will make effective leaders. But it wasn't particularly impressive because she wasn't very specific with her exact plans."
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